6 Month Postpartum Update: Workouts and Weight Loss

Where did the last 6 months go?  If you're not a mom just yet you can't imagine how fast time flies once you have a baby, and if you're going through it as a mom with me then know that I feel for you.

When I was pregnant I never really worried much about my weight and didn't really think about what my body was actually going through.  Going through pregnancy your body changes so gradually that you don't really notice how much you've changed until you look back at a year old picture.  There was only one day that I can remember when I was pretty large that I got that little panic inside me - "will my body ever look the same?".  And the answer is no, but it will still look good.


A few days ago I was surprised when I stepped on the scale and it showed me my pre-pregnancy weight!  I was excited to see the number but when I look in the mirror it's still a different body I see.  Everything is just a little looser than it was before, but I'm working to change that (despite the french fries I eat multiple times a week...).  I'm not sure if I think 6 months is a good or bad timeline for reaching my pre-pregnancy weight, I really can't be bothered with details like that when I have a 6 month old to care for!

If you're worried about your postpartum body - don't .  I like to categorize things in my brain of things I can change and things I can't, and besides working out and eating right you can't change your new body - so why worry about it?  Your kids love you no matter what and your husband still finds you sexy - you just had his baby for crying out loud!  I think we should all aim to look our best but I just don't want you guys (or myself) to spend time agonizing over loose skin and saddle bags!

Wow that intro was longer than anticipated, if you're still here, let's get to my journey.  I want to share it because I love reading other women's journeys and I hope this helps, inspires, or encourages those currently going through it too.  I also enjoy looking back on these types of things myself and since I hope to get pregnant again some day I know I'll want to re-read this!

So let's rewind to my pregnancy.  I only made it to 36 weeks (actually my water broke at the end of the 35th week) and no one knows exactly why including my doctor.  My theory is however that my body had reached it's (literal) breaking point.  My legs were so swollen it actually felt like they might explode.  Exhibit A (by the way, you should know I never intended to share ANY of the pictures in this post, which is why they are super terrible quality, but please be kind):

Yeah.  Crazy.  Talk about #cankles.  I went from a size 8 to a size 10 shoe (but don't worry I'm back to an 8!).  No amount of massaging or creams or propping or socks could help these suckers.  When I was in labor I remember telling the nurses I couldn't wait for my legs to deflate as soon as she came out.  They told me oh it actually gets worse before it gets better.  And they weren't wrong.  The three days in the hospital were horrible from a leg swelling prospective but there's kind of a lot of other ish going on at that time so it wasn't my main ailment lol.

Anyways all that to say I had a lot of water weight.  I gained about 40lbs while I was pregnant (my biggest craving was potato chips okay) and I lost 20lbs before the first month (pics below are 1 week vs. 4 weeks, I look like I deflated!).  As with everyone I didn't get cleared to workout until 6 weeks PP so that 20lbs was strictly water weight and breastfeeding.

I obviously don't have anything to compare it to but it seemed like breastfeeding was a big help in the weight loss department.  By 7 weeks I had lost about 35lbs (pic below)!  For reasons I'll explain in another post I stopped breastfeeding around this time and my weight plateaued.  It's taken me since then to loose those last 5lbs.  Let's get into how I did that.

I'll share that I'm not good at eating healthy.  I don't enjoy it and it makes me crabby when I'm denied my Chick-fil-A, so my weight loss is not attributed to my diet at all.  I posted quite a few times on Instagram stories that I was using the Tone It Up app and doing the free daily toning moves.  I started that shortly after my doctor cleared me to work out and set my goal to workout 3 times a week.  Sometimes I did that, other times not at all, and then once or twice I did like 5 days a week.  Very inconsistent and that kept on all the way through my first few weeks back at work.

Then mid June I decided to try out Pure Barre because there was a Groupon for the location near me for 1 month unlimited pass.  I convinced my BFF to do it with me and we have been going 2-3 times a week for the past three weeks and this week is my last week to use the pass.  I really enjoy it even though I'm not great at it.  Even with that though I have seen results already and as I mentioned it pushed me over the edge to my pre-pregnancy weight! Pic below (weird shadows and all) is from today (25 weeks PP).

I still have a long way to go to get in shape, but let's be real, I wasn't in perfect shape before I got pregnant either so maybe I am just glamorizing the past in my head haha. With my Pure Barre pass coming to an end I'm considering giving Orange Theory a try - have any of you tried that?  What did you think of it?

For the past several weeks I have been taking this Pre Workout before Pure Barre and once it kicks in it definitely helps with those 6AM classes!  Whether it's a placebo effect or a real one I find myself able to push harder and hold moves for longer.  I've never used a product like this before but I've enjoyed it!  It's basically caffeine (less than a cup of coffee) and sugar, so it gets you going.  You can try it for yourself at a great price - I have 50% off for you with code sparkle50!

Welp, that's the journey so far.  Let me know if you have any questions below in the comments and I'd be happy to answer you!  I'd also love to know what has worked for you to get things tightened back up!